Lara Siqueira de Oliveira, Maria Elisabeth Machado Pinto‐e‐Silva, Maria Carolina Batista Campos von Atzingen and Rosana Aparecida Manólio Soares
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the retention rate of vitamin C and carotenoids in vegetables submitted to heat treatment.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the retention rate of vitamin C and carotenoids in vegetables submitted to heat treatment.
Design/methodology/approach
Samples of carrot and broccoli were submitted to conventional cooking, steaming, microwaving and autoclave. Ascorbic acid concentrations were determined according to the methodology of Zhang and Hamauzu. The extraction of carotenoids was done using the methodology of Niizu and Rodriguez‐Amaya. The formula of Murphy et al. was used to calculate the retention rate of vitamins.
Findings
The highest retention percentage of ascorbic acid, α‐carotene, β‐carotene and lutein in carrots was obtained using microwave cooking. In the case of broccoli, the best retention for α‐ and β‐carotene was by steam cooking, whereas ascorbic acid was best preserved in the autoclave and lutein by conventional cooking.
Practical implications
Ascorbic acid and carotenoids are compounds present in vegetables relevant mostly from a therapeutical point of view, as they appear to be associated with the prevention of many diseases. However, these vitamins are lost during the cooking process, which is of great importance in developing countries where deficits of these nutrientes are quite common in the population.
Originality/value
The results obtained in this study indicate that the cooking technique of choice is of fundamental importance not only at home but also for the food industry, considering the increasing consumption of processed foods.
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Barbara de Lima Voss, David Bernard Carter and Bruno Meirelles Salotti
We present a critical literature review debating Brazilian research on social and environmental accounting (SEA). The aim of this study is to understand the role of politics in…
Abstract
We present a critical literature review debating Brazilian research on social and environmental accounting (SEA). The aim of this study is to understand the role of politics in the construction of hegemonies in SEA research in Brazil. In particular, we examine the role of hegemony in relation to the co-option of SEA literature and sustainability in the Brazilian context by the logic of development for economic growth in emerging economies. The methodological approach adopts a post-structural perspective that reflects Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory. The study employs a hermeneutical, rhetorical approach to understand and classify 352 Brazilian research articles on SEA. We employ Brown and Fraser’s (2006) categorizations of SEA literature to help in our analysis: the business case, the stakeholder–accountability approach, and the critical case. We argue that the business case is prominent in Brazilian studies. Second-stage analysis suggests that the major themes under discussion include measurement, consulting, and descriptive approach. We argue that these themes illustrate the degree of influence of the hegemonic politics relevant to emerging economics, as these themes predominantly concern economic growth and a capitalist context. This paper discusses trends and practices in the Brazilian literature on SEA and argues that the focus means that SEA avoids critical debates of the role of capitalist logics in an emerging economy concerning sustainability. We urge the Brazilian academy to understand the implications of its reifying agenda and engage, counter-hegemonically, in a social and political agenda beyond the hegemonic support of a particular set of capitalist interests.
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Fernanda Rodrigues de Siqueira, Carlos André da Silva Müller and Osmar Siena
This research aimed to analyze how information on public policies to mitigate the judicialization of the SUS (Brazilian Unified Health System) have been disseminated via digital…
Abstract
Purpose
This research aimed to analyze how information on public policies to mitigate the judicialization of the SUS (Brazilian Unified Health System) have been disseminated via digital media to citizens and stakeholders.
Design/methodology/approach
Under a qualitative and inductive paradigm, the research was based on the search for news on the Google pages. Data were grouped into higher categories to formalize theoretical generalizations.
Findings
Data analysis showed that there are news classified into 11 codes, forming three news groups broadcast as an effort by the programs to legitimize themselves with society: Perceived Quality, Publicity Produced and Results Achieved.
Research limitations/implications
The relationship between the effectiveness of public policies and their dissemination in digital media has implications for the result/legitimacy relationship, not excluding that public marketing can make a program legitimate without having results that confirm its effectiveness.
Social implications
The work provides a means of understanding the dissemination of public policies, in particular, verifying whether these are being provided in order to establish responsible and transparent communication with the citizen or to legitimize public policies without effective results.
Originality/value
The proposed conceptual model is based on four quadrants and represents the relationship between the results achieved by public policies and legitimacy, considering a phenomenon resulting from public marketing. The association between the intensity of these constructs constitutes four themes: fake public marketing, inefficient public policy, deficient public marketing and full public policy.
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Abdelkebir Sahid, Yassine Maleh and Mustapha Belaissaoui
Talita Cristiele Gomes Vieira, Luana Alves Ciriaco, Silvana Silva Santos, Gabriel Lucas de Souza and Polibio José de Campos Souza
This article aims to analyze the incorporation of harm reduction health workers with lived experience in all services focused on the care for drug users in Belo Horizonte’s mental…
Abstract
Purpose
This article aims to analyze the incorporation of harm reduction health workers with lived experience in all services focused on the care for drug users in Belo Horizonte’s mental health network, one of the largest Brazilian Psychosocial Care Networks (Rede de Atenção Psicossocial [RAPS]), and reports the findings of a qualitative study on the life stories, recovery journeys and the professional practice of harm reducers in Belo Horizonte.
Design/methodology/approach
For the development of this research, the authors chose the following methodological tools: documentary research; follow-up of harm reduction interventions; access to harm reducers’ field diaries; joint writing of the life stories of the harm reducers.
Findings
It indicates that these professionals, as harm reducers empowered by their life experience, have developed various elements and active ingredients of peer support. Their practices and the results of their actions have consolidated their inclusion as Belo Horizonte RAPS’ health workers and highlight that recovery-oriented care and peer support are a real possibility in Brazil.
Originality/value
In this research, harm reducers are coauthors and report their own life experience. In this article, they also talk about the impact of this experience on their work and on the lives of users of mental health services, emphasizing the protagonism and exercise of citizenship by harm reducers.
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Ram Singh, Aina Rafat and Smriti Srivastava
This study aims to determine the factors that influence payment Fintech application adoption intention among low-income groups in India.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to determine the factors that influence payment Fintech application adoption intention among low-income groups in India.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used an expanded technology acceptance model (TAM; covering perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, social influence, perceived risk and financial literacy), which was tested using 310 low-income respondents in Northern India. The PLS-SEM approach was used to analyse the data.
Findings
The results indicate that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, social influence and financial literacy all has a direct positive relationship with the intention to use Fintech. Furthermore, financial literacy was found to be the moderator in moderating the relationship between social influence and intention to use the Fintech app.
Research limitations/implications
This study ameliorates existing research and deepens the authors’ understanding of users’ intentions to use Fintech among low-income groups. The findings of the study help both policymakers and academicians in designing effective strategies for promoting Fintech usage.
Originality/value
This study examines the factors that determine Fintech application adoption, particularly among low-income individuals. The TAM framework was expanded to include perceived risk and financial literacy as two of the factors influencing Fintech adoption. Furthermore, the moderating role of financial literacy on intention to use Fintech app was considered in this study in the context of a developing country such as India.
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Marcos Buestan, Cinthia C. Perez and Denise Rodríguez-Zurita
Health-care organisations face many challenges in delivering safe, high-quality services while experiencing significant pressure to increase productivity and reduce costs. In this…
Abstract
Purpose
Health-care organisations face many challenges in delivering safe, high-quality services while experiencing significant pressure to increase productivity and reduce costs. In this context, hospitals have implemented lean six sigma (LSS) programmes to improve their performance. This study aims to explore the application of LSS in three different non-profit Ecuadorian hospitals to comprehend the effectiveness of the methodology under this context.
Design/methodology/approach
A multiple-case analysis was performed in four phases: selecting the cases, defining a data collection protocol, performing a within-case analysis of each case and performing a cross-case analysis.
Findings
This research found that the LSS application positively impacts hospital performance indicators by reducing service time. The most frequently used tools include the supplier input process output customer diagram, value stream mapping, cause-and-effect diagram, five-why analysis, Gemba walk and paired two-sample test. Lastly, the results show that the most common challenges faced were lack of top management engagement, technical training and data availability.
Research limitations/implications
The study is limited by the constraint of a single Latin American country from which the cases were analysed. Collaboration with external partners, like universities, and government policies promoting training in continuous improvement methodologies are crucial for success. Academic implications stress the importance of integrating soft skills in LSS implementation and engineering education.
Originality/value
This study shows a multiple-case analysis of LSS in a Latin American country highlighting the most commonly used tools, their impact on performance and the challenges of implementing LSS in health-care organisations in non-profit Ecuadorian hospitals.
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Leonardo Keiti de Godoy Tominaga, Vitor William Batista Martins, Izabela Simon Rampasso, Rosley Anholon, Dirceu Silva, Jefferson Souza Pinto, Walter Leal Filho and Francisco Rodrigues Lima Junior
This paper aims to critically analyze the engineering education focused on sustainability in supply chain management, in courses offered by Brazilian higher education institutions.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to critically analyze the engineering education focused on sustainability in supply chain management, in courses offered by Brazilian higher education institutions.
Design/methodology/approach
Topics related to sustainable supply chain management were listed from the literature and used as a framework to gather professors’ opinions on how well these topics are covered in engineering courses offered in Brazil. Data analysis was performed via frequency analysis and comparative ordering using the Fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution technique.
Findings
It was possible to evidence that most of the topics are superficially presented within other subjects and that there are few associated practical activities that enable greater learning. Comparatively, issues related to ISO standards (related to quality and environmental management systems) and compliance with environmental laws, regulations and standards were highlighted. Additionally, it was possible to verify that there is a need for further study on issues related to energy efficiency, worker training and corporate governance.
Originality/value
No similar study was found in the literature. The findings presented in this paper can contribute to the improvement of engineering education in Brazil and other countries.